Small Business Japan

On this episode of Small Business Japan I talk with Brittany Arthur again who provides a Japanpreneur Quick Tip and talks about the unique business startup scene in Japan compared to other countries around the world. 

Brittany Arthur wakes up each day excited to support companies in Japan to bring their business aspirations to life and to ignite creative confidence at the Japanese workplace by equipping people with tools for innovation.  

She specializes in innovation, Design Thinking and Design Sprints in Japan and in Japanese. She is the Co-Founder and Managing Director for Design Thinking Japan. She leads business innovation in Japan, specializing in Human-centered design principles such as Design Thinking in Japanese to help clients bring their business aspirations to life.  

She also serves on the met.conecta board of directors as an advisor for strategic partnerships.  She has founded the Business Karaoke Podcast and the ToYoko Design Thinking Network, the only English-Japanese innovation MeetUp.  
 
She also has a passion for Rotary where she is a member of the Rotary Club of Berlin-International and also a member of the Australian and New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Japan. 

On this episode of Small Business Japan I talk with Jess Brown, CEO at Nihongo Connection, about how she took a problem she was having with finding actual Japanese language speaking training and turned that into a successful business through building a bootcamp and online membership community.  

Jessica runs an online and in-person Japanese Conversation Community called Nihongo Connection. 

When she came back from Japan in 2005 her Japanese was at an intermediate level despite weekly Japanese lessons, she craved more opportunities to practice actually speaking in Japanese. In 2014, she started a Japanese conversation club. Japanese friends heard what she was doing and came along to support the group on their journey to fluency. In 2017 the members suggested she start an online conversation club too and so now she has developed a growing and thriving online community. She arranges weekly online conversation club calls in Japanese, supporting and introducing Japanese speakers from around the world and is now running a growing online website with courses and community.  

Helen gives us another little Japanpreneur Quick Tip this week in regards to the importance of rest and how entrepreneurs really need to take the time to relax and not let their businesses take over their lives. If you haven't yet heard our recent interview she drops a lot of knowledge bombs us, so look for the episode entitled Launching a Business Communication and Women’s Success Coaching Company in Japan w/ Helen Iwata.

Recently my wife Satomi and I were featured on her podcast The Sasuga Podcast, and when it comes out shortly I'll link to it from my website or you can search for her show in spotify or itunes etc. or check out her website at Sasugacommunications.com. The show was a little bit about our entrepreneurial journey together and how Satomi has grown as a leader and teacher in her own right, she really is the brains behind everything anyways.
But today we are going to have a chat about the uncool side of entrepreneurship.

Everywhere you look on social media and youtube nowadays, the main thing many people are pushing is the whole #hustle culture and how everything needs to be 10Xed. Well this the quickest route to burn out that I can see. Although it's not a phenomenon unique to Japanese business culture, Karoshi or death from overwork is a real thing. Often this comes from corporate peer pressure but I'm seeing solo entrepreneurs jumping in that rat race too for fear of missing out. Well, getting out of the rat race and finding my own sense of lifestyle freedom was a big part of starting my own businesses, and it's something that I have high on my priority list. Time is the most valuable thing we have, and without resting and taking a breather we don't get the recharge that we need to both handle our business and enjoy that time. Right after this short message Helen will give us her thoughts on the subject.

On this episode of Small Business Japan I talk with Brittany Arthur about sparking creativity and innovation in the Japan through her consulting firm Design Thinking Japan.  

Brittany Arthur wakes up each day excited to support companies in Japan to bring their business aspirations to life and to ignite creative confidence at the Japanese workplace by equipping people with tools for innovation.  

She specializes in innovation, Design Thinking and Design Sprints in Japan and in Japanese. She has founded the Business Karaoke Podcast and the ToYoko Design Thinking Network, the only English-Japanese,

On this episode of Small Business Japan I talk with Hejar Abdi, a Japan-inspired Dutch Entrepreneur, Model, TikTok Star and Social Media Influencer from the Netherlands. 
 

Hejar Abdi is most well-known for being an influencer and social media consultant for other high-end influencers/brands & ambassadors but he still provides physical therapy related courses at offices throughout the Netherlands for the prevention of physical neck/shoulder & back issues. 

He grew up in Amersfoort in the Netherlands and always had a fascination with creation. His love for cartoons and Japanese anime led him to create simple frame-by-frame flash animations as a kid. This led him to many self-taught media related skills like Adobe Photoshop, HTML, CSS, neuromarketing and many other beneficial tools for a successful online business. Something he eventually gained for the first time through Instagram in 2016.  

This episode of Small Business Japan is a continuation of episode # 58 with Sake Brewer, owner, and consultant Todd Bellomy where we get into some different business models and changes that come with the pandemic as well advice for entrepreneurs with a connection to Japan. 

Sake brewer Todd Bellomy works as a sake & craft beer industry consultant while developing and fundraising to start a sake brewery called Farthest Star Sake. He has many years of alcohol and restaurant industry experience, including certifications as a Cicerone and Sake Advisor. Once upon a time, he lived in Japan, visited izakaya, and worked as a sword maker's apprentice and English teacher. 

On this episode of Small Business Japan I talk with Sake Brewer, owner, and Consultant Todd Bellomy about his life in Japan, how he got his start in the sake industry, and some thoughts on authenticity and Japanese products outside of Japan. 

I’ll start this episode off by letting you know that because I geeked out so much on the topic I felt it best to split this into a 2-part show. Without further a due, Sake brewer Todd Bellomy works as a sake & craft beer industry consultant while developing and fundraising to start a sake brewery. He has many years of alcohol and restaurant industry experience, including certifications as a Cicerone and Sake Advisor. Once upon a time, he lived in Japan, visited izakaya, and worked as a sword maker's apprentice and English teacher. 

On this episode of Small Business Japan, I talk with Helen Iwata about how after years of experience she took the entrepreneurial leap to launch Sasuga Communications, her award-winning business communication and women’s success coaching company in Tokyo.  

Helen Iwata is an award-winning business communication and women’s success coach. Originally from the UK, she’s lived and worked in Japan for 3 decades. Following her 10-year career with McKinsey & Company in Tokyo, she established her own business in 2013. Helen coaches her corporate clients and online students to communicate confidently, use their time and energy efficiently, and get the results they want in their business and life without burnout. She’s the host of the Sasuga! Podcast, a TEDx speaker, Nikkei online columnist, and author of Eigo no Shigoto-jutsu, published by Shogakukan. 

On this episode of Small Business Japan, I talk with Natalie Meyer about how she built her business around helping both Japanese and International companies globalize and localize their business in a Tokyoesque way.  

Natalie Meyer is the founder & CEO of Tokyoesque. They provide globally aware & curious market research and localization for companies expanding to and from Japan. Their goal is to foster cross-cultural understanding and globalization. Natalie’s experiences are a mix of global media, tech and market research via Tokyo, London, Silicon Valley, DC and now Amsterdam.